PMO may decide on 58 captive coal blocks of firms like Reliance Power, Tata Power this week

NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister's Office will take a call this week on the fate of 58 captive coal blocks of firms like Reliance Power, Tata Power and Hindalco which were issued show-cause notices for deallocation for sitting idle on them.

The matter would come up for discussion in the meeting to be chaired by Prime Minister's Principal Secretary Pulok Chatterji on June 22.

"The coal ministry has received replies from all the allocatees of 58 coal blocks which were recently issued show cause notices for deallocation. The PMO in the meeting to be held on June 22 will take a call on what action has to be initiated against these allocattees," a source close to the development told PTI.

The Coal Ministry started issuing the notices to companies in April. The notices asked reasons for delay in developing blocks and warned them of cancellation of mines if no explanation was given in 20 days.

Reliance Power's Sasan, Tata Power, Hindalco, Grasim Industries, SPL, JSW, Bhushan Steel and TVNL, Jharkhand State Mineral Development Corporation and Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation were among the companies to whom notices were issued.

In May last year the government had cancelled allotment of 14 coal blocaks and one lignite block.